Athletic Club Summary
Athletic Bilbao is in an excellent mood and they travel to their rivals Osasuna keen to win and keep pace with 3rd position in La Liga. Top four has become a realistic aim for the confident and well-drilled Basque unit.
Athletic Club played a strong side and breezed through the cup midweek in a 1-6 away win, keeping momentum and spirits high.
Against Osasuna, the boss Ernesto Valverde is missing only Íñigo Martínez due to a ban. The commanding centre back is, however, a significant absence.
Right-sided player Ander Capa has yet to be ruled out but the press in the Basque region gives him practically zero chance to make the subs bench. He is a useful part of the squad but would not be pushing for a starting berth right now even if 100%.
Osasuna Summary
Osasuna remains in good spirits but has been brought down to earth in recent league results. As admitted by boss Jagoba Arrasate, thoughts of the top four look premature after both Sociedad (0-2) and Barcelona (1-2) outclassed them recently.
Arrasate was especially critical of himself and the side in Osasuna where they barely harmed the opponent’s goal in a 2-0 loss. However, their focus is on bouncing back to winning ways here in a match that is huge in their region, and a win would send the fans ecstatic and fill the dressing room with confidence.
Osasuna is determined to keep pace with the European places, but the boss is without the super competitive centre back Unai García for the meeting with Athletic.
Nacho Vidal and Rubén Peña are also expected to be sidelined due to injury.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first, where the favourite for this game is Athletic Bilbao @ 1.68. This is a big game for both clubs and their supporters, likely to be close and not one-sided as the 1×2 market suggests it could be. Osasuna travel in good enough spirits and they’re @ 5.75 to win. A draw meanwhile is @ 3.65.
Moving onto the Asian handicap market for this contest. The home side is heavy favourites and giving a big -0.75 start to Osasuna, meaning their backers on this markeT will need a 2-goal margin of victory for a full win @ 1.89. At the time of writing, this has been popular with punters. Osasuna +0.75 is @ 1.970. they will have to perform very well to avoid a loss, but could easily keep it tight.
Looking at The Under/Over market last of all which looks well set at 2.25. This is a big game in the region and the atmosphere will be hostile, which should make sure it’s a physical and high-intensity affair which is not ideal for goals. Over is the shorter price @ 1.87, while Under is @ 1.95.
